Published August 13, 2024
From Patient to Volunteer
“I’m alive today because of all the care I’ve had at RVH. I feel as though I’ve been gifted an enormous opportunity to share some positivity.”
Pauline Niles, Grateful Patient and RVH Foundation Campaign Cabinet Volunteer
Pauline Niles has an unwavering determination to live life to it’s fullest. She kayaks, walks her trio of dogs, expresses herself through painting and volunteers with RVH Foundation.
“I’m alive today because of all the care I’ve had at RVH. I feel as though I’ve been gifted an enormous opportunity to share some positivity and make some difference,” she smiles.
Pauline was diagnosed with polycystic kidney disease over 30 years ago – a condition where cysts develop in the kidneys. Determined to postpone dialysis, she carefully managed her health and lifestyle. Despite her diligence, in 2020, a ruptured cyst caused a septic episode, triggering a life-threatening emergency.
“I had a fever of 104 and became unresponsive,” she explains. “I remember being in the ambulance and coming back gasping for every breath of air I could. And I remember the paramedics saying ‘Keep breathing, keep breathing, keep breathing. Stay with us, stay with us, stay with us’.”
Pauline was cared for around the clock by RVH’s Intensive Care Unit. This is the first time she credits RVH for saving her life. The second was after her kidney function dropped to eight percent in 2022.
“All my family wants me
to go back to Toronto. That
ain’t happening. I love my family, but I love my care team.”
“I was exhausted, tired, bloated. My skin looked grey. Everything hurt. I looked droopy. My face was swollen,” she remembers. “It was bad.”
Pauline’s care team immediately knew she needed dialysis. Pauline had a catheter surgically installed into her abdomen and uses this tube to complete home hemodialysis.
“It’s more convenient for me to do dialysis every night when I sleep and still do all the things I wanted to do during the day,” Pauline explains. “I feel excellent. My eyes are shiny. I have a lot more energy.”
Today, Pauline and her husband are looking for a home better suited to her health needs. She has one major caveat for any new location: she wants to remain close to RVH.
“I want RVH to stay our primary hospital. All my family wants me to go back to Toronto. That ain’t happening,” she laughs. “I love my family, but I love my care team. I receive truly genuine care.”
“Every single day, every single worker at RVH, is making a difference in someone’s life,” she explains, adding “that’s why I volunteer. It’s one of the most profound ways anyone can help – because it is truly life changing.”
Keep Life Wild
Pauline is one of the four people accessing RVH’s Home Hemodialysis Program which began in April 2024. RVH is one of 40 Ontario health centres offering this program which allows patients accessing this life-sustaining care more flexibility, better health outcomes and improved quality of life.
RVH is the heart of healthcare in Simcoe Muskoka. As the region grows and ages, the strain on this vital resource is significant. In 2022, RVH Foundation launched the Keep Life Wild campaign to rally the community to protect our health. Our goal is to raise $100 million to expand the current site in Barrie and build a new hospital in Innisfil. Together, we can reduce wait times, end hallway medicine, and bring more world-class, specialized care close to home. So that everyone in this region can enjoy more of the good life – the wild life – we all want and deserve right here, right now.
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